Trump’s trade policies pose a problem for UK museums

Art transcends borders. It is a universal language that connects us, nurtures understanding and empathy, no matter where we come from.

In recent years, however, this free flow of ideas, creativity, and culture has hit an unexpected snag: politics. Specifically, the trade and fiscal policies of Donald Trump’s presidency have thrown a spanner in the works for UK museums and galleries.

For decades, UK institutions have been celebrated for their ability to host exhibitions featuring treasures from around the world. These exhibitions are a marvel of collaboration, requiring careful agreements, meticulous planning, and no small amount of money. But Trump’s trade policies have made this already delicate process even harder.

The National Gallery’s 2019 exhibition, Leonardo: Experience a Masterpiece, for example, included loans of significant works from American collections. These transatlantic exchanges required not only delicate logistical planning but also substantial funding to cover transportation, insurance and customs fees.

But exhibitions like this now face new bureaucratic barriers. Trump’s 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico signals a broader intent to reevaluate and potentially increase tariffs on imported goods, including cultural artefacts.

The US president has also left open the possibility of introducing a “global supplemental tariff” – a measure that could further strain international trade and lead to increased logistical challenges for exhibitions that rely on the transportation of artworks.

UK museums and galleries have long collaborated with international partners but these measures represent yet another hurdle in an already challenging landscape.

Morris Hargreaves McIntyre (MHM) is currently working with a range of London museums, including Tate, the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Design Museum, to reconsider the role of temporary and special exhibitions against this changing backdrop.

These exhibitions are vital for driving attendance, revenue, and public engagement and there’s no choice but to explore innovative ways to navigate these obstacles, rethinking exhibition models or redefining the visitor experience altogether.

What’s at stake here is more than logistics or money. It’s about connecting people to ideas, stories, and perspectives. When an iconic American work can’t make it to a UK gallery, it’s not just a painting that stays behind – it’s a chance for us to understand each other a little better. And when UK art struggles to travel, the world misses out on the brilliance we have to offer.

We need policies that encourage collaboration, not barriers. Let’s reduce the red tape and make it easier for art to travel the world as it should.

Art will always find a way to speak to us. Let’s make sure it doesn’t have to shout through closed doors.

Debbie Spence is the director of MHM